“Yeah.” She cleared her throat. “I think so. We have been working on our backstory.”
“Good. Is there anything else you need from us?”
“No. I’ll be sure to let you know our ETA at the harbor once we’re within range.”
“Thanks, Henderson.” He paused and added, “Once you’ve secured the sword, be sure to stow it in range of one of the webcams. We can’t risk the pirates selling it out from under us, and I won’t tolerate another forgery, either.”
“Will do.”
“Stay in touch, Henderson.” The line went dead.
Aura dropped her cell on the cot and went to her tiny sink. She was covered in soot and gunpowder. She’d grown fond of the smell over the years, but seeing the soot on her skin made her want to shower.
Grabbing the small bar of soap, she lathered her hands and quickly washed her face. After drying her skin, she stared at her reflection in the mirror, resting her hands on either side of the sink. She tilted her head until the light caught the faint scar on her cheek.
The acid saliva of a demon had changed her life forever.
Back then, she’d thought demons were fictional. Until that night, she’d thought her partner was human. The months that had followed had been full of fear that he might find her again. She’d quit her job and walked out on her lease. She couldn’t stay in the apartment where they used to split pizzas. Between the memories and the fear that he could show up at her door, there was no way she could spend another night there.
Luckily she’d socked away enough money to lie low in an efficiency apartment while she’d tried to piece her life back together. She’d researched demons and possession, which had eventually led her to unsolved cases involving potentially paranormal incidences. It hadn’t all been bad. Her digging into old cold cases had led her to Department 13.
Their files and books cataloging different types of demons and entities from other dimensional planes baffled her at first. Books and movies made the creatures seem like something out of the hell mentioned in the Bible, but according to the records inside Department 13, most demons lived in parallel dimensions making deals and bargains to gain access to the human realm.
The knowledge hadn’t helped her figure out how to banish the demon she once thought of as a friend, but it had given her a little peace of mind that she wasn’t the only person in the world who had been stalked by one.
She’d briefly wondered how Jones had gotten through to this dimension. Portals through time and space were unstable, and according to all the documentation she’d read in the files at Department 13, there were only a handful of beings in the world capable of opening one. Maybe Jones had been sent to this plane by a higher being with a mission? Or maybe he’d been an accident, stumbling into the human world with no way to get back.
If there were a way to banish him to another dimension, she would’ve done it years ago. To her knowledge, there didn’t appear to be a way for her to accomplish it, so she’d settled for trying to find a bright side.
If she’d never met Jones, she would’ve missed out on the chance to discover there was more to the world than most people would ever imagine. She might have never found her calling to work with Department 13.
She ran her finger along the scar. He’d called her the “chosen one” that night. Seven years later, she still didn’t know what that meant.
Thunder cracked outside, and the ship groaned as the waves battered the hull, knocking her sideways. She fought to stay upright, reached for her phone, and then headed topside.
On the main deck, huge raindrops pelted her, stinging her bare skin with the force of the wind. Keegan struggled to keep the wheel steady at the stern, and Colton had his hands up to cup his mouth while he shouted orders to the crew.
A wave crashed over the railing and knocked her to her knees. The cold water shocked her into motion, drenching her back as she scrambled to her feet, stumbling toward Colton.
Following his gaze up the mainmast, she zeroed in on Greyson. The sails were tied up, and three men were making their way back down the ratlines. With the rain and wind, the lines twisted and turned, making her gasp more than once.
They were immortal, but it was still tough to watch.
Drake, the ship’s carpenter, appeared at her side with a hammer in one hand and a few planks under his other arm. The wind pulled at his blond hair. Lighting sparked behind him, reinforcing the image of Thor and his hammer. He looked at Colton. “We’ve got a leak near one of the cannon hatches.”
Oh shit. Had firing the cannons cracked a hole in the ship? “Did I break something earlier?”
“No.” A crease formed between Drake’s brows. “The bilge is taking on water.” Her confusion must’ve shown on her face. He pointed down at his feet. “It’s the lowest part of the ship. It’s filling with water.”
Were they going to sink? Her pulse raced as adrenaline laced her bloodstream and every instinct screamed to run. She scanned the choppy waves on every side. They were in the middle of the ocean. There was nowhere to go…except down.
Colton looked over at him with a nod. “I’ll send Greyson down with a pump.”
“Aye.” Drake jogged down the steps and disappeared below the deck.
They seemed calm. They’d been sailing for over 250 years. They could handle a storm.
Although they’d already sunk one Sea Dog. Ugh. She needed to do something. Aura yelled over the wind, “How can I help?”
A smile tugged at Colton’s lips. Was he enjoying this? They might live through it, but if the ship sank, she wouldn’t. “Greyson will need help pumping the water out of the bilge.”
She frowned. “Is this fun for you?”
He laughed, and Greyson jogged over as another wave battered the railing and flooded the deck. He caught her arm, keeping her on her feet.
She looked back and forth between the two pirates. “Shouldn’t we be worried about sinking?” She narrowed her eyes at Colton. “You aren’t immortal anymore, remember?”
“Aye.” He nodded, reining in his grin. “But we’re not going to sink. This isn’t a ship killer of a storm.” His gaze moved to the angry waves splashing onto the deck. “We haven’t sailed across the Atlantic in decades. Feels good to be battling Poseidon again!”
She shook her head. “I’d rather be dry.”
Greyson stood beside her. He was soaking wet, with a spark of adventure in his eyes that made her heart flip before she could remind herself there was no future for her here. Her job was all that mattered. Finding the sword. She couldn’t do that from the bottom of the ocean.
She shouted over the gusts of wind, “Need help pumping water out of the ship? I don’t feel like dying today!”